HOW TO SET UP A RESIDENTS’ GROUP


WHY SET UP A RESIDENTS’ GROUP?

A Residents’ Group is a voluntary group of people that live in a defined area. Residents’ Groups can be set up for a number of reasons. The most common reasons are:

  • To tackle issues of concern in their area
  • To represent the views of tenants on issues that affect them to their landlord
  • To make campaigning more effective (a collective voice rather than an individual one)
  • To keep residents informed
  • To improve the sense of community in an area
  • To improve the social life of those living in an area through events, activities and outings.


FIRST STEPS

Consultation
In order to set up a Residents’ Group, it is important to consult residents living in the area to find out how much interest there is in setting up a group. This can be done by:

  • Door knocking
  • Delivering a postal survey/questionnaire
  • Visiting any community facilities in the area, for example local shops, community centres and schools.


As long as a reasonable number of people agree that it is a good idea to set up a group and are willing to attend meetings, a Residents’ Group can be set up.

Planning Meeting
Following consultation, an initial meeting should be held to plan how the Group will be formed. Items discussed at this meeting may include:

  • The name of the group
  • The election of the committee (including the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer)
  • The area the group will cover (the boundary)
  • The aims of the group.


Public Meeting
This meeting will launch the Residents’ Group publicly. It should be advertised and all residents living in the area should be given the opportunity to attend. Methods which can be used to advertise the meeting include:

  • Leaflets
  • Posters
  • Word of mouth.


At the meeting, formal agreement should be gained on items discussed at the planning meeting, such as the name, the committee members, the boundary and the main aims of the Group. It will also give members the opportunity to make arrangements to set up a bank account.

HELP AND SUPPORT

The Resident Involvement Team at Chorley Community Housing can offer help to Residents’ Groups by providing:

  • Training for members, for example ‘effective meetings’ or ‘fundraising’ (for our training programme, please click here)
  • Help to produce and copy leaflets, posters and newsletters
  • Help to find venues for meetings
  • Translation services
  • Advice about funding
  • A start up grant and grant each year thereafter for all formally recognised residents’ groups.
Tel.: 01257 244 800
Email: resident.involvement@chorleych.co.uk
Address: Resident Involvement Team, Chorley Communtiy Housing, 24-26 Gillibrand Street, Chorley, PR7 2EJ